Presearch Process

The presearch process helped out a lot with choosing my topic. To my surprise, I didn't get much feedback from my other topic, students addiction to social networks, so I decided to stick with my topic concerning iPhones.  I believe I want to stick with my proposal to do my research project on:

iPhones:
       The Production of iPhones
                       Materials
                       Cost of Production
                       Where Are They Produced
                       Who Produces Them
                                   Working Conditions
        Why People Buy Them vs. other smartphones
                        Is it Marketing or just the Apple Brand
        What is the Big Deal with iPhones

After conclusive research in the library catalog, I decided to check out the book, "Inside Apple : How America's Most Admired-and Secretive-Company Really Works." This book seems very resourceful as it provides information on Apple's strategies on how they market and draw consumers into buying their products. It also provides a lot of information regarding tactics on Apple's production as well. Its call number is "HD9696.2.U64 A6737 2012"         

Research Update

     So far, the research processes and techniques we've learned in class have proven to be more efficient than the methods I have used for previous assignments. During my research I ran across several sites that weren't to be trusted that I'm sure I would've used in the past. A few of them had various sites on the sides and were written by non credible authors. Many of my findings were blogs which are mostly based off opinion. However, many of my resources, especially articles, were written by real reporters and revised by official editors.
   I have still yet to use our library or any of its online features for this project. As I stated in one of our previous blogs, I had a hard time finding solutions for my topic because it is fairly new. The newest iPhone was launched just late last year so it is hard finding recent resources that will help.

Finalized Topic

         At this point in research, I have decided to choose the topic of iPhones. I want to know why they are  so expensive and what makes society so intrigued and apt to buying them. I want to explore if customers are really getting their money's worth. Is Apple just a trademark brand that people just want to buy because of the "name?" How much does it take for Apple to make an iPhone, where do they make it, how do they make it and what is the morale of the workers that are making it? What are the components that make up an iPhone; are those to blame for the high cost?
         While using the GIL Catalog, I entered "apple company" and I received useful results. "The Apple way [12 management lessons from the world's most innovative company]" and "Inside Apple : how America's most admired-and secretive-company really works" would be ideally utilized.

Information Sources

    In order to complete this project, I will need to utilize various sources. I have chosen to drop my second topic of students and their addiction to social networks and stick with the production of iPhones. I believe that using resources such as, the internet which provide articles, journals, and interviews, will be useful. Other resources that can be perhaps found in our very own library can be used. Since my topic concerns the production of iPhones, I believe science and technology will be appropriate disciplines to include. My topic also covers how iPhones are made so manufacturing, production and working conditions may be used as well. We also spend a lot of money, most of the time unnecessarily, on these phones. We, as in society, are apt to buying popular brands, such as Apple. Psychology, economics, ethics, and morals are all disciplines that are related. I believe that consumers as well as producers (factory workers) will help influence my paper in the end.

Digging Deeper on Topic

         While constructing research, I discovered several topics that can better my project overall. One of my topics was on the production of iPhones and the question as to why they are so expensive. I believe that exploring the cost of retail as well as what components make up an iPhone can help me get a better understanding of what I plan to argue in my project. Along with those ideas, I decided to also research the factories and the working conditions of the workers. Even more, I believe including a comparison to another smartphone, other than the iPhone, will be vital to this project.
         My second topic was on students and the addiction to social networks. Even though this is a secondary topic and its still in the air if I want to complete it, I have also gathered ideas for it as well. As a psychology student, I have planned to construct an experiment amongst my peers and perhaps classmates, which also correlates with my psychology class. Furthermore, I plan to investigate the affects of social media on the brain.

Chosen Topics

--I chose two technology based topics.

              First off, I've always wondered why iPhones cost so much. In my opinion, the iPhone is
 overpriced. Even as an iPhone owner, I honestly don't see the big deal. It makes phone calls, sends text messages, has internet capability and a few impressive apps. These gadgets start at $199 with upgrade eligibility and have a retail price of $649. I wonder why they are so expensive and if customers are really getting their money's worth.
              Secondly, I have noticed that the majority of my peers are addicted to social networks. Especially in college, students cant focus on schoolwork such as, homework and studying because they are too busy constantly posting a status or sending a tweet. I'm curious to find out why students put schoolwork aside for a status on how they feel or what they are doing. I find myself also procrastinating about doing work in which I rather hop on Twitter or Facebook.

Homework "Object Purchase"

It has been a while since I've made a major purchase. However, back in late October it was time for my cell phone upgrade. At that time, the iPhone 5 was recently released to AT&T customers for a starting price of $199.95. Its rival, the Samsung Galaxy S3 was also available for the same price. Those prices were a slightly over how much I wanted to spend. I looked for other products that were at a cheaper cost. That's when I stumbled over the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4s. They were sold for $.99 and $99, respectively. I soon wondered what the major differences of these two phones were and why was there such a price difference between the two. I went on many websites such as, www.cnet.com and  www.venturebeat.com which displayed comparison charts between these two phones. I also watched countless videos on YouTube to get a more genuine approach. I realized that there wasnt much of a difference between the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s, noting that the 4 didnt have the personal assistant, Siri, and wasnt capable of 4g speeds. Ultimately, I decided to go with the cheaper iPhone 4, in which I only purchased it for $1.83.